The surprise winner of last year’s Foreign Film Oscar follows Daigo Kobayashi, a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo moves back to his hometown with his wife to look for work and answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency,only to discover that the job is actually for a nokanshi, a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of nokanshi, acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. Empire Magazine: “Heart-warming, funny, wise and profound.” Sponsored by Patricia Fontaine. Community Partner: Japan Society of Vermont.131 minutes, in Japanese with subtitles. Film review
Category: 2010 Films & Events
